Catholic Schools Closing En Masse
According to the New York Times, Catholic schools - “long a force in educating the underprivileged regardless of their faith” - are closing en masse in the United States. ‘About 1,267 Catholic schools have closed since 2000 and enrollment nationwide has dropped by 382,125 students, or 14 percent, according to the National Catholic Education Association. The problem is most apparent in inner cities, in schools like St. Monica with large concentrations of minorities whose parents often struggle to pay tuition rather than send them to failing public schools.’
”We lose the kids. They can’t afford it. And then as the school gets smaller, you have to raise the tuition to pay the costs and it’s a vicious cycle,” said Sister Dale McDonald, the association’s director of public policy and education research.
The pope will gather with Catholic educators during his visit, but not those who run elementary schools — the meeting is with college presidents.
St. Monica has been operating on a deficit for about a decade. Enrollment went from 368 students in 2004 to 196 today. Requests for financial aid increased. The Archdiocese of Miami devoted more than $2.7 million in subsidies over the past seven years to keep it open.
”There’s not the numbers there to keep going,” said Kristen Hughes, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese. ”The economy really has had a huge impact.”
McDonald notes Catholic schools have been closing since their peak in the 1960s, when there were 12,893 schools with about 5.25 million students. Today, there are 7,378 schools with 2.27 million students. The decline in enrollment is accelerating, fueling further school closures.
Although we have Catholic and Protestant schools in the Netherlands as well, I’ve got to say that I’m not a big fan of them. If they’re paid for by private money, it’s not a problem - you can do whatever you want to - but to let the government subsidize faith-based schools is, in my opinion, in breach with the separation between Church and State.
If you want to send your child to a ‘religious school,’ that’s fine, but don’t ask the government to pay for it.
As for the closing down of Catholic schools: It simply means that the market is at work. Less people want pay for it, so they have to close down. That’s sad for the people involved, but it goes like that. You can send your child to other schools; public or private.
Another reason to oppose religious schools in the Netherlands is, by the way, that immigrants demand the same treatment, and rightfully so. Suddenly we see many so-called Muslim schools. The children on them are indoctrinated and seldom to never talk to Dutch people (who are not Muslims). They become increasingly conservative in their religious views, and they do not understand the way other Dutch people think.
The result: social outcasts. Difficult to find jobs. O, and the level of education is often poor at those schools (several have been forced to close down already).
So in the Netherlands, the religious schools get the same funding as secular ones? That is odd, and I agree about the problems with separation of church and state.
What’s sad about this situation that’s being reported though, is that these Catholic schools that are folding had been providing good education to poor kids, and the only alternative for the families that can no longer afford to send their kids there (or for those that no longer have that option when the schools close) is for the kids to attend failing public schools. This isn’t a case of people choosing a religious school for that purpose, they were just choosing the only quality school that was available to them. I hope that more of the schools will find a way to stay open and convert to charter schools, and that perhaps political support will grow for vouchers that would allow the kids in those communities to get a decent education.
<blockquote>I’ve got to say that I’m not a big fan of them. If they’re paid for by private money, it’s not a problem - you can do whatever you want to - but to let the government subsidize faith-based schools is, in my opinion, in breach with the separation between Church and State.</blockquote>
Michael;
I’m curious, if the state gave each family a set amount to spend on their child’s education and the parents chose to spend it at a religious school, would you consider that a breach of the separation of church and state?
“McDonald notes Catholic schools have been closing since their peak in the 1960s, when there were 12,893 schools with about 5.25 million students. Today, there are 7,378 schools with 2.27 million students. The decline in enrollment is accelerating, fueling further school closures.”
We need to pray to our Godly father Jesus Christ so He ca come back to us. Also the way we Catholics treat our gays ( I am a homosexual) is shameful. We have to make homosexuality a main stream in Catholicism!
Some gays think Jesus was a gay. I am not sure, but He probably would be tolerant to gays in this case.